Characteristics and comparison between e-scooters and bicycle-related trauma: a multicentre cross-sectional analysis of data from a road collision registry

Abstract

Background: Urban mobility has drastically evolved over the last decade and micromobility rapidly became an expanding segment of contemporary daily transportation routines. E-scooter riders and bicyclists may share similar trauma characteristics, but this has been little explored. The objective was to describe and compare the characteristics of e-scooter and bicycle-related trauma. Methods: We conducted a cross-sectional analysis of data from the Rhône road collision registry (January 1, 2019 to December 31, 2019). We included all e-scooter or bicycle riders injured in traffic collisions during the study period; there were no exclusion criterion. Results: A total of 2,779 patients were included; 825 (29.7%) were e-scooter riders and 1,954 (70.3%) were bicyclists. E-scooter riders were younger (median [IQR]: 24 [20–32] vs 29 [20–45] years, p < 0.001) and less frequently male (64.2% vs 73.4%, p < 0.001). Most e-scooter and bicycle road collisions were consequent to a fall or loss of vehicle control (74.2% vs 67.7%, p < 0.001). E-scooter riders were less frequently wearing a helmet at the time of the road collision (6.1% vs 30.7%, p < 0.001) and had more frequently head (24.2% vs 19.9%, p = 0.01) and face (30.6 vs 20.5%, p < 0.001) injuries compared to bicyclists. The median injury severity score was 2 [1–4] in both groups with no significant difference (p = 0.77). Conclusions: E-scooter and bicycle-related trauma patients were mainly young males with minor injuries and most of them sustained a road collision with no third-party. However, they suffered from different injury patterns; e-scooter riders suffered more frequently face and head injuries than bicycle riders, which may be at least partly the consequence of less frequent helmet use among e-scooter riders compared to bicyclists. Hence the two groups of users should not be considered as a single trauma entity. This issue should be promptly addressed to bring down the incidence of preventable injuries and avoid healthcare costs.